How to Take Your Instagram Content to the Next Level
Discover what people around the world say they want to see from brands on Instagram.
People say they are eager to hear from brands on Instagram. Many brands already turn to the platform to connect with more audiences and also drive sales, but the companies and influencers that now reach large audiences didn’t necessarily start off as well-known names. Small smoothie companies, grassroots initiatives and personal trainers alike have made names for themselves—and achieved larger marketing goals—on Instagram. But which kinds of content resonate most with people on Instagram, especially when it comes to nurturing brand affinity? According to the 21,000 people we surveyed, interesting content that resonates matters more than brand names when it comes to gaining attention.
To understand what interesting content means to people and how marketers can connect more with their audiences, Facebook IQ commissioned two studies to learn more from people who use Instagram regularly. What we discovered were a few key—even surprising—ways Instagrammers like to connect with brands and influencers. They say entertaining content matters more than content that’s beautifully produced, that direct communications from brands are valued as well as hearing from influencers and that content tapping into cultural events and personal interests have the potential to build stronger customer relationships. Discover how to produce Instagram content that connects with your key audiences by understanding what Instagrammers really want to see from brands.
Interesting content matters more than big names
Interesting content goes a long way. Of people surveyed, 53% said they’ll follow a brand for the content alone, as long as it resonates with them. This indicates that having interesting content can also help brands increase their reach beyond their current followers. So what content do Instagrammers want to see, and from whom?
When we asked people what kind of content they wanted to see from brands, they answered fun (55%), real (53%) and creative (53%). Across all markets surveyed, these things mattered more than content that was beautifully produced, giving brands the headway to experiment and play more with the creative direction of their posts. There are different expectations in Instagram Stories and Feed; people appreciate interactive features, such as polls or Q&As, and raw or unpolished content in stories, while feed is a more popular format to view regular updates from brands that bridges the community together.
“I find most of the promotional posts [on Instagram] are authentic, because they are creative and don’t give the impression that they are regular advertisements.”
—Dennis, 25, Germany
Top types of content people surveyed say they want to see from brands:
Fun or entertaining55%
Real or authentic53%
Creative53%
Informative51%
Personally relevant46%
Inspiring or uplifting45%
Beautifully produced36%
Additionally, our respondents said they like to see content that showcases the brand’s personality (32%), content that brings the community to together (29%) and content that’s endorsed by influencers (27%) and celebrities (26%).
And while people show interest in celebrities and influencers on the platform, those aren’t the only accounts people want to hear from—our research shows that one of the reasons people go to Instagram is to interact with brands as well. In fact, the people in our survey want to hear from a wide variety of sources with different types of content. For example, a brand showing its personality might inject some humor in its ads on International Kissing Day or inspire Millennial travelers with playful clips of vacation destinations. They could host community events or share behind-the-scenes footage. Instagrammers are open to hearing from brands—and the personalities that represent them—they just want that communication to feel original.
How 2 brands delighted followers in Instagram Stories
Oreo tapped into consumers' playful sides to promote Oreo Thins. Instagrammers had to tilt their phones to guide a cookie through a maze, ending at a bright call to action to swipe up and shop.
Lacoste gave its bedding a boost with an ad allowing Instagrammers to imagine what their bedrooms would look like with Lacoste comforters. People could click through the designs before being led to Lacoste’s website to find more information.
People build connections around shared interests
Of people surveyed, 91% said they use Instagram to follow at least one of their interests, and these results were particularly pronounced in India where 98% of respondents said that's a reason they use the platform. The top interests people pursue are travel (45%), music (44%) and food and drink (43%), with a host of other passions down the line. India differed from all other countries with technology as its top interest, while Korea, Argentina, Brazil and Turkey all included movies in their top three interests. Marketers have a unique opportunity to connect with their audiences by staying on top of trends and areas of interest. It helps keep their content relevant and provides market insight into what motivates their customers.
Top interests people surveyed say they pursue on Instagram:
Travel45%
Music44%
Food and drink43%
Fashion42%
Movies41%
Health and fitness35%
Technology32%
Skin care/cosmetics30%
Sports30%
News28%
People want to dive deeper into their interests and discover new ones. They’re eager to learn more, connect with a community and hear from the people and businesses that inspire them. And according to the people we surveyed, the top place on Instagram they go to find content about their interests is brands. Brands have an opportunity to use their messaging, copy and creative to help immerse people in their interests, tying their content to what excites their audience beyond their products and services.
People surveyed fuel their interests on Instagram in a number ways:
68%view photos from brands they like or follow
67%view content posted by other public users or communities
66%view videos from brands they like or follow
63%view photos posted by influencers
62%view photos posted by celebrities
62%view videos posted by influencers
61%view videos posted by celebrities
Big cultural events spark conversations
When people are passionate about something, they tend to seek out ways to become involved. From book clubs to three-day concerts, events are one way to bring Instagrammers’ interests to life. During big cultural events, people go online for reactions, opinions and behind-the-scenes content from the people and brands they follow, providing a perfect opportunity for brands to engage with localized content. Across 13 markets, 76% of the people we surveyed keep track of events on the platform, from fans keeping up with major football (soccer) tournaments to gamers attending key conferences, not to mention all of the once-a-year moments that dot our calendars. When it comes to sports, 37% of people surveyed follow sports events on Instagram, and while 51% of men say they use Instagram to follow sporting events, 25% of women said the same thing. Brands can form lasting connections and build stronger customer relationships by keeping up with what matters to people—from cultural events to passion projects.
“If a brand organizes an event or something, for instance if there’s an athlete in the event, I’ll share it with friends, and I’ll register.”
–Dorothée, 39, France
What it means for marketers
Speak up.
Instagrammers are open to hearing from brands. If you have influencer and celebrity endorsements, also let your followers hear from the brand itself in an authentic and interesting way. People want to see your photos and videos, but they don’t need to be perfect—most people wanted to see fun or entertaining content. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, see how other brands succeed on Instagram in these case studies.
Provide access to the inaccessible.
When it comes to events and inner circles, it’s all about access. Fuel people’s passions by using Instagram Stories to share the excitement of being backstage, show exclusive photos of yet-to-be-released cars or provide an unfiltered look at exotic travel destinations. Encourage your audiences to follow their passions by providing content that excites them.
Get in the game.
Brands can join supporters as anticipation mounts for a big game and construct creative content that encourages them to band together, whether that’s through pre-event hype or real-time content. Brands can use countdown clocks before an event, curate packing lists to prepare travelers for a big festival or arrange stories takeovers with high-profile personalities. Consider also sharing user-generated content to sum-up the event and show followers you value their contributions.
“Project Instagram” by Ipsos (Facebook-commissioned survey of 21,000 people ages 13–64 in AR, AU, BR, CA, DE, FR, IN, IT, KR, TR, UK, US and ages 18–64 in Japan), Nov 2018. All participants said they used Instagram at least once per week. Survey response styles might vary across countries due to cultural differences, but scale anchors remained fixed within each country.
“Instagrammers on Brands” by LRWTonic (Facebook-commissioned interviews with 70 Instagram users ages 18+ in AU, BR, CA, DE, FR, JP, KR, US, UK), Nov 2018. All participants said they used Instagram multiple times a day. Survey response styles might vary across countries due to cultural differences, but scale anchors remained fixed within each country.
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